I would have to say that my trip to Belize was extremely productive. The seven days that I spent in the country were jam packed full of travel, meetings, sites, and people. We crammed so much into that one week that it honestly felt like we had been there for a month. We were...
Read more »
Three weeks ago today, I started my virtual bike fit process with Victor from Bicycle Lab. I’ve explained the pre-fit and mid-fit process previously, and have shared my comments…and it’s time to wrap it all up with my post-fit review. It didn’t actually take three full weeks to complete the process. We pretty much...
Read more »
Hello cycling world, this is my first (of hopefully many regular) posts. I’m new to this community and I didn’t realize how many bike lovers there are in the world and the connection that exists between everyone. My eyes are open and I’m impressed. Why? I never realized or thought about the passion that...
Read more »
There has been a lot of interest in “The Law of Attraction” over the past few years. Books like “The Secret”, “The Answer”, and many more have become bestsellers and created a huge following and a lot of interest. Even Fat Cyclist himself did a post on “How to use ‘The Secret’ in Cycling”….so...
Read more »
I arrived in Belize on Friday with the first experience in the country being a quick spin around Belize City. I had heard that this area isn’t a very nice place compared to the rest of the country, so I left the airport expecting the worst….and was pleasantly surprised. I recorded this video about...
Read more »
I’ve left Canada and spent last night back in the beautiful State of Texas. We spent two years living in Austin, but last night was my first time ever in Houston. This morning I am off to Belize….Central America’s only country where English is the official language. I’m not going on a vacation….I’m not going...
Read more »
This one’s for all of us riders finally getting outide for the first time after a long and incredibly anxious winter. After months of staring at your ride….maybe even laying down beside it for a cuddle….we finally can unleash the passion and get out there. Sure it’s been nice to sit on you and...
Read more »
If you’ve ever considered getting a bike fit done, I would highly recommend it. If you’d like to get one done, but don’t have a bike fit professional in your area, there are still ways to get it done. If traveling to another location to get a fit completed is not an option for...
Read more »
2010 has quickly become a great big year for bikes in the online world. First, Yahoo sponsors a pro cycling team and then Google this week announces they have added biking directions to Google Maps…at least for U.S. searches. On top of this, the use of social media by pro cyclists has continued to...
Read more »
As you know, I’m in the process of getting myself professionally fit on my road bike via a virtual fit with Victor from Bicycle Lab. I am having Victor guest post today to share his wisdom on setting yourself up properly on your bike. The results of my fit will be posted soon. 7...
Read more »
When I upgraded to my new Trek Madone last April, one of the things I was hoping to get out of it was a spectacular fit that provided me with hour upon hour of comfort to go along with increased performance from the bike. It’s been a great road bike, and really can’t complain...
Read more »
Inhale exhale inhale exhale inhale exhale….Red light. Traffic traffic, cars, buses, people. Green light and off again. Simplicity in motion…a guy, a backpack, a mountain bike. The life of a bicycle commuter. No other means of transportation available…none other necessary. Close your eyes and picture this person for a second. What do they look...
Read more »
 |
 |
 |
I generally eat pretty healthily and stay relatively fit but I wonder if I’m getting enough vitamins and minerals. Is there a product (available in the UK) that contains the right mixes of daily vitamins and minerals and if not, which individual supplements should I take to compliment a healthy lifestyle. (ps… I don’t want to take so many pills that I rattle!)
Kelli’s Answer:
Thanks for the question! First a disclaimer: It’s always important to talk to your personal health care provider about supplements -some should not be taken due to medication interactions and individual conditions.
Now, my general recommendations:
Although a healthy and balanced diet is most important, I do believe that most people, and athletes especially, need a good multivitamin/multimineral, extra vitamin D, and fish oil (or another source of DHA/EPA omega-3s) in addition to healthy foods. Mostly, I recommend this because our soils have been over-farmed (which decreases the amount of nutrients in our foods), our waters are polluted (which is one reason we can’t eat as much seafood as we’d like), and our ability to get outside and get sunlight year round has decreased with more time spent inside and at a desk. And, there’s a lot of exciting research that supports higher levels of vitamin D supplementation than previous recommendations.
Generally, I recommend these daily supplements:
Additionally, individual athletes may need extra iron, probiotics, calcium, etc. But, these 3 pills are a good place to start for most healthy athletes.
As you look for supplements, the keys are to find ones that 1) have what they claim they have (no exaggerated claims) and 2) don’t have anything that’s harmful. You don’t want lead or other dangerous heavy metals, and I try to stay away from colorings, flavorings, and unnecessary additives. Since this industry is not really regulated, it can be hard to find good brands that have support from a 3rd party expert. I often www.consumerlab.com, a completely impartial 3rd party site that tests supplements and reports on their ingredients. They don’t have every brand, but it can be a good starting point. I hope this helps!
Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.
Nutrition Tips
